Holy hell that episode was awesome! Damnit Roger, why do I always feel sorry for you when you are such a cad?

I didn't see anything caddish in his behavior this week; his daughter is a crazy, bratty bisque, and while I see why Joan doesn't want him to be Invisible Kevin's father, I don't see why she can't let him be a family friend.

Holy hell that episode was awesome! Damnit Roger, why do I always feel sorry for you when you are such a cad?

I didn't see anything caddish in his behavior this week; his daughter is a crazy, bratty bisque, and while I see why Joan doesn't want him to be Invisible Kevin's father, I don't see why she can't let him be a family friend.

I didn't mean he was a cad in this week's episode. I mean in general.

_________________I like my bagels like I like my men - big and covered with earth balance & nooch. - Bunniee

Holy hell that episode was awesome! Damnit Roger, why do I always feel sorry for you when you are such a cad?

I didn't see anything caddish in his behavior this week; his daughter is a crazy, bratty bisque, and while I see why Joan doesn't want him to be Invisible Kevin's father, I don't see why she can't let him be a family friend.

I didn't mean he was a cad in this week's episode. I mean in general.

Yes, he's historically been pretty caddish, but at least he's charming. And I have a bad feeling about Bob Benson - for one thing, he's already told a huge lie. Remember when he sent the gratuitously elaborate deli platter to Roger's mother's funeral? When Ken called him on it he said he'd done it because he was reminded of when his own father had died. Then last night he was recommending his father's former nurse for Pete's mother, and said that the person was only available because his father had been "nursed back to health." Liar, liar, opportunistic brown-nosing pants on fire.

I loved so many characters in this!! Betty's so much smarter than people imagine, and so deviously happy getting what she wants after being kicked when she's down. I have mixed feelings about the personality changes that have come with her weight loss.. It does seem to be promoting this fantasy of thinness thing that books and movies generally do - the idea that people's fortunes and happiness will totally change if they just lose that weight. From a body acceptance perspective, I don't really like that, but as a plot device, well, she's always been judged by her appearance, and it's nice to see her fully realize that and instead of just taking that privilege for granted, to actively but subtlely hurt people who treat her differently based on it.

Plus really it's such a classic, well-executed revenge fantasy. It's pure porn for the recently dumped. The cliche-ness of it doesn't matter when it's so satisfying. Plus it was really the only one of the relationships involved that unfolded the way we'd been waiting for in that episode.

But then you have Roger and Joan, which is absolutely not cliche (I keep waiting for that doctor to get killed in the war, but as far as we know he's lingered on). I like that they make Joan too smart to climb aboard his sinking ship.

The main disappointment, of course, was Don's returning to Megan. But I guess we'll see how that goes.

I was sure it was a nightmare or fantasy sequence, and Peggy was going to wake up in a panic realizing she had to end things with Abe. Even in the ambulance, the dialogue was so weird - "Your activities are offensive to my every waking moment. I’m sorry, but you’ll always be the enemy" - that I couldn't believe it was really happening until we saw Peggy in the office next morning, looking like she'd been dragged through a hedge. That closing shot of Ted and Don closing their separate doors on her was pretty tough; she needs to realize that none of these men are the answer, and that she needs to be in charge of her own life. (And I guess she'll be selling that shithole now.)

annak wrote:

Betty's so much smarter than people imagine, and so deviously happy getting what she wants after being kicked when she's down. I have mixed feelings about the personality changes that have come with her weight loss.. It does seem to be promoting this fantasy of thinness thing that books and movies generally do - the idea that people's fortunes and happiness will totally change if they just lose that weight. From a body acceptance perspective, I don't really like that, but as a plot device, well, she's always been judged by her appearance, and it's nice to see her fully realize that and instead of just taking that privilege for granted, to actively but subtlely hurt people who treat her differently based on it.

As a former model and member of a glamorous couple (note Bobby's pride at presenting his "mom and dad," who are about 150% more put together than the other parents), and in her current role as a younger, trophy wife (the job for which Henry "hired" her), Betty's looks are her stock in trade; what else does she have, or has she ever had? The difference between her now and before she put on weight is that she's more aware of the power of her perceived sexual attractiveness (and its limits) and she's ready to use it for her own advantage. A nostalgic roll in the hay with Don? Fine - on her terms. The idea of any sort of future with him? Ridiculous: "I'm happy with my life; let's just enjoy this." For once it was Don left wondering what just happened, and it was pretty sweet.

annak wrote:

The main disappointment, of course, was Don's returning to Megan. But I guess we'll see how that goes.

That marriage isn't long for this world, but it's not surprising he went home to her. It's always been his MO to have his bit on the side and go home as if nothing has happened; the fact that this time the woman he was screwing around with was the one he used to screw around on just made it more interesting than usual.

Abe's stabbing was the sort of lawnmower-over-foot moment that Mad Men is so good at. Everything is so subtle and drawn out that you're really shocked when they do something so outrageous and unexpected. And Ted's reaction - he basically only wanted her when she was unavailable. I'm kinda moving away from Team Ted.

And every time Bob Benson is on, I just wonder what the hell is going on with him. Who is he? Where did he come from? What is he doing? On the one hand, I like that Joan has a man-friend, but on the other, there's just something about him that I don't trust.

_________________A pie eating contest is a battle with no losers. - amandabear

No way in the land of well-written fiction was his lie just a "white lie." There's something coming in Bob Benson's plot; I just don't know what.

I had thought Bob had a thing for Pete that he was masking in the guise of eager brown-nosing/liking Joan...but I didn't remember that he'd sucked up to Roger (good memory, Desdemona)--so that wouldn't make sense. And it's not hard to believe that he really does like Joan.

I believe someone can kiss up just as much as Bob does but I don't, for one second, believe he's as naive as he comes across.

I also have a crackpot theory that he's a detective trying to find the war deserter, and Don's downfall in the show will be when Bob catches him. He might have an interest in Pete because Pete's the only one in the office who knows (and he's the one who called off an account to prevent Don from being investigated earlier in the series). But I'm pretty sure I'm waaaaay off base, there.

_________________"So often I wish Adam were a real boy." - interrobang?!"If he was you'd hear him farting at the back of your yoga class." - 8ball

I think he lied to make Pete feel better. I think him and Pete are going to steal accounts and start their own firm, and maybe take Peggy. I mean, it seems like they are definitely setting us up for some big split, and that seems logical enough. They aren't really going to merge into one big happy company, that is pretty clear, especially after the headhunter scene and the dramatic Peggy ending. I think he DOES like Joan and he IS a nice guy, but he's also trying to get ahead in his career. Not really in an evil way.

It would be cool if there were a genuinely nice guy on Mad Men! Has there ever been?

crickets.

*snort*

My fantasy theory is that Bob is a serial killer. "He seemed like such a nice guy..."

I love this theory: the refrigerator in Bob's bachelor studio apartment turns out to be filled with the severed heads of lonely secretaries!!!!

But seriously. Tom and Lorenzo point to the complete lack of sexual tension between Bob and Joan, and suggest that he might not even be in the vagina business. The more I think about it, the more I think they may be on to something; maybe he's super ambitious and sees an alliance with Joan as a way to get ahead? Or maybe he really likes her and wants to be friends? Or both? Either way, imagine how refreshing it might be for Joan to be in a room with a man who isn't perpetually on the verge of grabbing her boobs! (On a related note, Pete seems to be sending off some creepy quasi-romantic vibes towards Joan, which is just...eeew. Has he forgotten his role as pimp in the whole Herb Rennet thing? I'm pretty sure she hasn't.)

I was thinking that too about Pete, but I guess with so many new people from the other company he feels he isn't in the upper level of staff anymore? At their first conference room meeting with the 2 companies merged there wasn't even a chair for him.